Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-04-15
THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY.
The History of This Famous Corporate"
from beginning to End.

NHk MIA NDAltU Vk1J OOAhA Az
TN. History of This Famous Corporation
from Beginning to End.
The DAYTON Journal gives the foi,
lowing history of the Standard VI
Company, which will be of interest TO
very many who have but o general ldea
Of It:
The history of petroleum Oil dates
from the striking Of the Drake we'll, IN
the Watson flats, below Titusville. IN
which oil was found at q depth OF 10
feet 6 inches, August %, 1859. Then
the only mode OF land carriage was the
hauling of the oil from the wells to the
shipping points. Soon the oil was IL
yeyed down Oil Greek to the Allegheny
River in fat-boats. At one time 7,ooo
men were employed in this business.
At the expiration of five years Van
SICKLE suggested the running OF the OIL
through wrought-iron pipes from the
wells to the shipping points. In 1865
such a line extended four miles, from
Pithole to the railway at Miller's farm.
Thence arose the whole network of pipe
lines, covering the entire oil region.
In 1866, under the general corpora
ton laws of Ohio, a small organization
with o capital of $1,000 600 was effected,
with headquarters at Cleveland, its
business to refine oil, and with the title
of the Standard Oil Company. From
the outset the managers have main
tanned the strictest secrecy. An audi
ence with the king of the monopoly be-
came as difficult as an interview with
the Gar of Russia
Early in its history it commenced the
elaboration Of competition. 1t con-
trolled and captured the West, a city at
q time. For example, Chicago was
captured by excluding rivals, through
temporarily driving all profits from the
city's oil trade. Lake carriage was pit
ted against the rail, and by this means
and personal manipulations, the rail
ways, shielded by secrecy from public
Reproduction. gave private and exclusive
concessions or rebates to the Standard
Oil Company.
Such treatment brought their victims
into IN impossible condition, and the
railways could get oil trade only from,
the sole possessors of it. Thus railway
capital became q victim and a servant,
the former in the reduction of its tariff
and the latter in forcing competition
into the gulf Of ruin. Leading com
petitors were skillfully beguiled into
alliances which neutralized their oppo-
sition.
Flattcry, promises of profit and
peace, evils of competition and Stand.
ard success did their work. The choice
to moderate refiners and traders was,
coalition with the Standard or bank.
ruptcy. The final end was n dismissa'
from the circle into which they haC
been deluded.
A simple expansion of the old means
sufficed for the East, but the Eastern
conductors were too %impetuous. The
South Improvement Company" wa.
formed, to whom was promised a Sc
cret commission Of 81 per barrel, which
might be shipped by any one. Freight
charges were advanced 100 per cent
Upon the terms of this Infamous con
tract being known in 1872, its charter
was abrogatel. Mass meetings were
held and the widest excitement pre-
vailed. Tanks were tapped, oil wen
. to waste, producers shut down thei
!, wells, and the ringleaders, fearful o
!, hemp, departed the country. The
, Standard folks withdrew, leaving the
producers to think that they had eff
), fectually killed the hydra.
But the Standard laid out y new
plan of operations, slower, but surer.
The agreements of the railways in 1877:
!, for equal and public rates were violated
in favor of the Standard Oil Company
With the premiums from rebates anC
1, drawbacks pouring into their pockets
+ they made it plain that all apparent
profits in manufacturing oil must dis
. appear. They "hid the profits" Thei1
; own gains were the private and exclus
{ i've tribute from the carriers. Over
lures were made in 1874 between the
!. Standard Oil Company of the one part
: and various Pittsburg and Philadelphia
!, refining interests on the other part. A
coalition was formed. Besides Pratt &
. Co., and Warden &Co., the Devoe, the
Bootwick, the Acme, the Atlantic. and
: many others, became part of the Stand.
ard. The Conduit Pipe Line. tho
Harms Pipe Line, the Grant, the Union,
the Atlantic, the Pennsylvania, and
American Transfer Pipe Lines con.
Meeting with all the wells OF the oil
country were gradually absorbed by
the United Pipe Line, another name
for q branch of the Standard.
, The Cleveland corporation thus came
!, into possession of the retineries. thu
management of the pipeline system OF
J Transportation and the control gener,
ally of the railroads. In certain re-
glOns the press became Subsidized on,7
in others dare not expose the doings Of
. the company. The Payne fight, Il will
be seen, is more than one Of ordinary
bribery. 1t is more than a State fight
or even a party fight, 1t is a National
, affair, and every good citizen, without
references to his party affiliations
should take an earnest and active oort
to stop the depredations upon morals
and honest franchise of this Standard
Oil juggernaut.
Would Cut the Rope.